The new Oxford High School is seen Sunday. Photo: Taylor Regan, The Daily Mississippian.
Oxford High School officials will host a community open house today from 5-7 p.m.
The event is taking place to give thanks to the Oxford community for its help and commitment to making the new high school campus possible.
The evening will begin in the cafeteria with a dedication ceremony, and then guests will take guided tours of the new school.
“(The open house) will give the community an opportunity to tour one of the greatest high schools in the state. Not only does data prove that we are among the elite, but the craftiness of our school will prove what we have known for quite some time,” said Jonathan Anderson, Oxford High School assistant principal. “Community members should feel proud because they truly are owners of the school. They have invested a lot into the school and we have the pleasure of impacting their most prized possession, their kids, for a great deal of the day.”
The new campus includes larger classrooms and hallways, two-story classroom wings, a new salad bar in the cafeteria, an outdoor amphitheater, a new gymnasium and a courtyard. The new classrooms also all have 70-inch TVs, and there are 60-inch monitors in the hallways.
“The district is very excited about the opportunity to showcase our new high school to our community,” said Oxford School District Superintendent Brian Harvey.
According to Harvey, Nov. 30 marked the scheduled completion date, but due to minor setbacks, the high school officially opened on Jan. 7 to more than 1,000 students. The school is functional and operating, but the gymnasium has yet to be completed. The gym was scheduled to be finished by the time of the open house, but putting together the bleachers has taken longer than expected, which has delayed the painting and sealing of the gym floor.
The campus is located at 101 Charger Loop. Oxford Middle School has plans to relocate to the previous high school building, located at 222 Bramlett Boulevard.
The rapid rise in student enrollment over the past decade sparked the plan to begin the building process. To help fund the project, voters in the Oxford School District voted on a bond issuance in 2011. The campus cost roughly $30 million and took about five years to plan, raise funds and construct. Eley Guild Hardy designed the new high school, which encompasses 220,000 square feet.
— Julie Laberge
jklaberg@go.olemiss.edu
